


My True Love Gave to Me

by thepopeisdope



Series: 12 Days of Christmas [12]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 19:51:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5553041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepopeisdope/pseuds/thepopeisdope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone is gathered in the bunker for Christmas, and Dean has a question.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My True Love Gave to Me

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I'm not _too_ late with this, at least. But is that stopping me from backdating it? Not at all.
> 
> But here ends the journey of the 12 Days of Christmas. To everyone who reads this: Thanks. You rock. Happy holidays.
> 
> Please never let me do anything like this again.

It’s weird, having everyone gathered in one place. Weird, but good. The bunker is alive with activity in a way it hasn’t been since the Winchesters moved in, and Dean can’t help but wish it were like this all the time.

But that doesn’t change the fact that Dean’s stomach is in knots, and he kind of feels like he’s going to throw up. But he’s pointedly not thinking about that. If he does, he might lose his nerve before he even gets to the main event, and that would mean all of his planning will have been for nothing.

No. Dean can do this. He convinced himself of weeks ago—if not longer— that this is what he wants, so he damn well _should_ be able to handle it. He _will_.

The whole ‘family dinner’ bit was only part of Dean’s plan, and a surprise for his brother and Cas. They’ve had a rough couple of years, the three of them, and since they finally earned some room to breathe, Dean wanted their first real holiday to be a good one. The best that it could be.

And in addition to being the first time that they’ve celebrated Christmas as it was meant to be celebrated, it’s also Cas’ first Christmas as a bona fide human. Really, that’s a major piece of motivation for Dean to get it right, too.

Cas’ humanity has been of a rollercoaster—he had become human after Metatron stole his grace to shut down Heaven, spent a few months slumming it with the Winchesters, then got some of his grace _back_ , had his wings for a hot second, and then inevitably burned it out again, this time of his own volition, to purge Dean of the Mark of Cain. Cas doesn’t mind the fate he was given, though. In fact, if you ask him, he’ll even say that he prefers humanity to angelhood.

And Dean has asked him. He asks him often, sometimes out of guilt for being the one responsible for Cas’ fall, sometimes out of a need to just make sure Cas is alright. Cas is more important to Dean than Dean can often articulate, and one of the best ways he _can_ get his feelings across is to ask Cas how he’s doing, if there’s anything he needs. If he regrets any of it.

Cas always assures him that he doesn’t. That he would do it all again in a heartbeat, if it led him to the same happiness he has found now, finally in Dean’s arms where he belongs. Sometimes Cas’ words aren’t enough to ease Dean’s guilt, though, and on those nights, Cas soothes his worries with soft presses of lips and skin, slots them together in their bed and holds Dean close until his fears dissolve and love takes its place.

Dean wanted to do something nice for his angel, and this? This is about the best he can do.

So a few days before Christmas, Dean had started making phone calls. He did it all in secret, not wanting Cas—or even Sam, who Dean also kept in the dark, partly out of fear that he would blab—to think anything incredibly special was happening. As far as Cas and Sam knew, the only plan for the day was that Dean was going to make a nice dinner, and after that they would exchange gifts.

Convincing Cas and Sam to agree to open their gifts in the evening rather than first thing in the morning was difficult, but well-worth Dean’s efforts. Cas had especially fought him on it, but when Dean only continued to insist that the wait would be worth it—and Dean truly hoped it would be—he had relented.

Charlie arrived first, showing up on Christmas Eve as she and Dean had planned. Her presence in the bunker wasn’t enough to spoil the surprise of everyone else’s arrival, and served as a perfect distraction to keep Sam or Cas from ever suspecting anything else out of the ordinary was going to happen. Charlie knew better, but dutifully pretended otherwise.

Even still, she’s the only one who knows Dean’s true plan.

Surprisingly, Charlie brought a guest. She had somehow managed to find a way to reunite with Gilda—the faerie from the case the Winchesters had worked in Moondoor—but neither woman is very forthcoming with an explanation for just _how_ that happened. They’re happy together, though, always in each other’s orbits. That’s more than enough for Dean, so he doesn’t question it too hard.

Jody reached the bunker early Christmas morning, before Dean and Cas had even finished their first mugs of coffee. With her came Alex and Claire. They brought with them several armloads of brightly-wrapped presents, a turkey, and makings for a casserole. Jody immediately pledged herself to kitchen duty, spending most of the morning preparing dinner alongside Dean, while Alex and Claire became instant friends with Charlie and Gilda.

Cas had been stoked to see Claire, and pleasantly enough, the reverse also seemed true. They had hugged for a long minute when the Sioux Falls crew first arrived, and when Claire finally pulled away and wished him a merry Christmas, Cas had looked to be on the verge of tears. Dean had had to walk away before his own emotions could overtake him, because they had definitely threatened to.

Next came Donna. It wasn’t much of a shock to anyone that she followed right on Jody’s heels, and as soon as she’s in the bunker, she makes a beeline for the other woman and pulls her into a tight hug. By proxy with Jody, Donna also dedicated herself to dinner prep. The peach cobbler that she brought was slid into the fridge until it was time for dessert.

Linda and Kevin got there a bit later, in the ballpark of noon. It was the first time either of the Winchesters had seen the Trans since Metatron put his hit out on Kevin and the prophet had gone into hiding, but now that Metatron has been locked away, Kevin is a free man again. Linda had needed some serious convincing to agree to show up at all, but luckily for Dean, Kevin had liked the idea of a nice, normal Christmas dinner, and took his side. Whatever argument he had made had apparently worked, because here they are. Like Jody, the Trans also brought gifts, but instead of food items they supplied beer and soda.

The last person to show up was also the one Dean didn’t actually expect to see. Any attempts he made to contact her were always left unanswered, leading him to believe that he either wasn’t getting through, or that she didn’t care.

But Hannah was still there when it counted. She had knocked on the bunker’s front door mere minutes before dinner was served, and despite her protests that _angels don’t eat_ , she smiled and sat and ate a few bites of everything that was offered to her.

Hannah’s presence thrilled Cas just as much as Claire’s had, but once she was factored into whatever equation Cas was forming, he started casting Dean strange looks. He knew something was up, he just didn’t know _what_.

Which, to bring everything full-circle, is one of the main reasons why Dean now thinks he might blow chunks. Dinner has already been served, enjoyed—and _damn_ , was it enjoyed—and cleaned up, meaning it’s time for the group to gather by the tree in the sitting room and sort out all of their gifts to open. There’s one gift that _isn’t_ under the tree, of course, and it feels like a lead weight in Dean’s pocket.

Dean hardly pays attention to his family while they open their presents, and he doesn’t even touch his own yet. All he knows is that everyone is happy to give and to get, and more than once there is a happy squeal from _one_ of the girls, but he can’t tell which one.

Dean waits for his wingman to give him the opening he needs. It feels like forever before it comes.

“Hey, Cas?” Charlie says, standing from the couch she had been curled onto with Gilda and gesturing out of the room. “You mind helping me carry something in here? It’s a gift for Dean that I had to hide when I got here, since it’s not something I can wrap.”

Cas is sitting in a loveseat with Dean, Dean’s arm draped around his shoulders, but he immediately extracts himself at Charlie’s request. “Of course,” he replies, sending Dean a quick smile over his shoulder before following the redhead out of the room.

This is it.

He can do this.

Dean stands from the loveseat and moves to stand in the center of the room, not far from the soft glow of the Christmas tree. He pulls the box out of his pocket, too, and waits with it in his hand. He tugs his shirt straight, adjusts the tie everyone had teased him for wearing earlier.

As expected, this draws the attention of everyone in the room. Dean can feel their eyes on him, but he resolutely keeps his gaze locked on the entryway to the room, waiting for Cas to return. There’s nothing else he can do, really—he’s not _that_ fancy, after all. This was the best course of action he could come up with, but while it may be lacking in presentation, it had still gotten Charlie’s seal of approval. That was good enough for Dean.

After a moment, Dean can hear the buzz of Cas and Charlie’s voices as they make their return trip. They’re too far away to make out the words, at first, but with everyone in the sitting room having fallen completely silent, it isn’t long before that’s resolved.

On a couch to Dean’s left, Sam finally pieces it together and breathes, “No fucking way.”

Dean just gives him a shaky smile, and then it’s go time.

“Charlie, I don’t understand,” Cas is saying, which, _big surprise_. On the bright side, the familiarity of it eases the pit in Dean’s stomach some. “Why would Dean want _this_ for Christmas?”

Dean can practically hear Charlie’s shrug when she replies, “Call it a woman’s intuition. Besides, I think Dean’s a more sensitive guy than a lot of people give him credit for. I think this is something he’ll like.”

Dean makes a mental note to fire Charlie from the position of _wingman_ later. He’d given her the gift and told her to make up something to say, but he’s sure she can do better than _that_.

Before Cas can respond, he and Charlie are rounding the corner into the sitting room. He’s still frowning at her, but he clutches the bouquet of flowers to him like they’re something precious. The bouquet is an arrangement with a theme of blue, black, and white, and the palette matches Cas just as perfectly as Dean had known it would.

It takes Cas a few seconds to notice the change that occurred in the room while he was out, but Dean isn’t sure whether it’s the dead silence or his own position that finally gives it away. Charlie had immediately snuck back to rejoin her girlfriend on the couch, leaving Dean and Cas as the only people standing.

Dean can do this.

Cas stares at Dean, his brow furrowed, and he takes a few steps further into the room. The flowers are now held limply at his side, completely forgotten. “Dean, what are you doing?”

Dean takes a deep breath. He drops to one knee, and lifts the box in his hand for Cas to see. The exterior is dark green, with white faux ribbons pasted on to make it look like they wrap all the way around. It’s incredibly cliché, which guarantees that even Cas connect the dots on this one.

The bouquet slips from Cas’ fingers and hits the ground with a soft rustle of petals. Neither of them really notice or care.

Cas drifts a few more steps closer to Dean, but his motions seem subconscious, like he isn’t truly aware of them. His face is a wild array of emotions, but the one thing Dean can distinguish above all else is that Cas’ eyes shine with unshed tears.

Dean really hopes that’s a good sign.

Okay. He can do this. This is where people make a big speech, right? Profess their undying love, say something profound, and follow it by popping the question.

In theory, anyway. It turns out the only words Dean is capable of voicing are, “Cas, will you marry me?”

He does, at least, remember to flip the box open to reveal the ring, nestled in white silk within. It’s a simple platinum band, with a single word engraved in delicate lettering on the outside: the Enochian equivalent of _true love_.

There’s a beat of silence after Dean asks the Big Question. It goes on for long enough for Dean to start to worry, because he truly can’t read Cas right now, and that scares him. His eyes haven’t left Dean’s this whole time, not even to look at the ring.

But then Cas snaps out of his surprise, and Dean gets no warning whatsoever before his angel is leaping at him. They both fall to the ground in Cas’ rush, and Cas’ lips are warm and perfect over Dean’s own. His hands grasp at Dean everywhere they can manage with so much force that it would probably hurt, if Dean weren’t so dazed by the abrupt swing from maybe-rejection to _this_.

They’re both sitting on the floor now, Dean sprawled at an odd angle but remaining upright while Cas straddles his waist. Cas’ enthusiasm is appreciated, of course, but Dean still needs an answer. Luckily, one look at his angel seems to convey this, because Cas grins the biggest grin Dean has ever seen him wear and says, as though it is the easiest thing in the world, “ _Yes_.”

Dean chokes out something like a sob of happiness and relief, and hugs Cas as tightly to him as he can manage. He buries his face in Cas’ neck while he desperately tries to contain himself, but in the end all that accomplishes is getting him to cry onto Cas’ shoulder.

Not that he can bring himself to care, because not only is he too ecstatic to give a damn, but Cas is pretty much doing the same thing as well. It’s hard to be self-conscious when they’re on equal footing.

Dean eventually pulls away from Cas just enough to take his angel’s hand in his own. His own hand shakes slightly as he slips the ring from its case and onto Cas’ finger, and he hardly believes this is really happening. The band shines brightly in the light from the tree next to them, and Dean watches as Cas finally notices the engraving on its front. His lips form silently around the word, drawing an incredulous laugh and a few fresh tears. He kisses Dean again, which tells Dean that yeah, the hours of research and triple-checking of his sources on just that small bit of Enochian were well worth his efforts.

Dean is only distantly aware of the rest of his family around him, all of them completely surprised but happy nonetheless. When he finally looks away from Cas—from his _fiancé_ —long enough to evaluate everyone’s reactions more closely, he can’t help but be proud of himself for what he sees. There’s a mixture of tears and smiles from everyone (which Dean will never, ever let Sam forget, the sappy bastard), and the ensuing congratulations are nearly overwhelming.

Claire asks Cas if she can be his maid of honor, at the same time that Sam demands to be Dean’s best man. Jody says she knows of a nice venue near Sioux Falls that’s perfect for summer weddings, where she thinks she might be able to work out getting them a discount. Donna has a friend who owns a catering service who she’ll call whenever Dean and Cas are ready. Hannah clearly doesn’t understand the full significance of the proposal, but she still smiles and asks permission to invite some more of her and Cas’ angel friends to the ceremony when the time comes.

There’s a lot to plan, a lot to think about. Even just listening to the flow of ideas terrifies Dean all over again, but then Cas squeezes his hand and Dean can feel the cool platinum of Cas’ ring against his own fingers. It calms him considerably.

He can do this for Cas. He’d do a lot of things for Cas, as he’s demonstrated over the years. Marriage is a walk in the park compared to some of the things they’ve faced.

And just like everything else, they’ll do this together.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [tumblr](http://thursdays-fallen-angel.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
